Iraq: ICFTU Calls Election a “Key Step”, Condemns Kidnap of Union Official
BRUSSELS, 21 January 2005, (ICFTU Online): The ICFTU today described the holding of the elections in Iraq as a key step towards democracy and condemned the kidnapping of Talib Khadim Al Tayee, President of the Iraqi Mechanics’, Metalworkers’ and Printworkers’ Union (IMM&PU). Following the vicious torture and murder of Hadi Saleh, International Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) on 4 January, this kidnapping highlights the dangers facing Iraqi trade unionists, as anti-democratic forces seek to eliminate and instill fear into those who defend workers’ rights as cornerstones of democratic development.